Harry Potter and the Last Hope
by harryypotter
Summary: Harry goes through many hardships and discoveries as he prepares for his confrontation with Voldemort, where he will try to fulfill the Prophecy and save the wizarding world.
1. Training

**Chapter One: Training**

"Ahhh!" Harry screamed as he dropped to the floor. The deaths of his parents, Cedric, Sirius, and Dumbledore had all just flashed before his eyes in successive order.

"Rid yourself of your emotion, Harry!" exclaimed the voice of Remus Lupin.

"I'm trying sir," responded Harry. "I really am, but sometimes it just becomes too much."

"Okay well perhaps that's enough for today. Overall though, you've made great strides in your Occlumency so far. Granted, I am not a very powerful Legilmens, but you have successfully repelled me a few times today."

"I do have great motivation after all," Harry uttered sadly.

"After we return from the wedding I want to continue with the Occlumency lessons though. At least for a few more weeks alright? After that, I would like to teach you Legilmency. It requires a lot of the same skills, just that you'll be trying to force yourself in, rather than push someone else out."

"Sure thing, Professor."

Harry had done little to hide the disappointment in his voice. It was no secret he did not enjoy having his mind attacked over and over. He was greatly looking forward to the wedding however, even if he did have to see Ginny. A little awkwardness was a small price to pay to see Ron and Hermione again.

"As far as your spellwork is concerned, that is all up to you. You have surpassed my abilities by now. I have always thought that you showed great potential, but what you're doing at your age is remarkable," stated Lupin, obviously impressed.

"I still have a far way to go," Harry said softly.

"Don't be too hard on yourself; you've done me very proud. Say Harry, fancy a duel before bed?" queried Lupin.

Harry was quite tired, but he was never one to back down from a challenge.

"Sure."

"Okay, now I really want you to focus on using nonverbal spells."

"Right," said Harry. He still vividly remembered the way Snape had taunted him about keeping his mouth closed when dueling.

Harry withdrew his wand and faced Lupin. Lupin did the same. Harry and Lupin walked towards each other, bowed, and turned to walk away. They faced each other for an instant before Harry moved first.

_Expelliarmus!_ thought Harry.

Lupin was ready however and put up his defense. "_Protego!" _he bellowed. He tried a full-body bind on Harry, but missed narrowly.

Harry's fatigue was starting to take a toll on him, but he gathered some strength and sent a strange beam of yellow light resembling lightning towards Lupin. Harry missed greatly with the spell though, hitting a table behind Lupin that immediately lost all its legs and fell to the ground.

Lupin saw what the spell had done to the table and gained a look of horror at what Harry had been planning to use on him, but quickly recovered, and prepared for his next move.

Harry knew very well that Lupin was very skilled at Freezing Charms but he decided that there was an alternative to the Shield Charm that would be much more effective. He concentrated hard on appearing behind Lupin, and disappeared with a crack right as a stream of blue light was headed towards where he was standing. He Apparated directly behind Lupin and Lupin was so surprised that he did not even put up a defense to Harry's next spell.

_Impedimenta_ Harry thought with the little strength he had left. Not waiting to see if his spell had an effect or not, he fired off another spell, but decided to conserve energy by saying the incantation.

"_Petrificus Totalus!" _Lupin fell onto his back. Harry, realizing his victory, released the spells from Lupin who immediately looked in astonishment upon Harry.

"Since when have you been able to Apparate so quickly? I have never seen anyone Disapparate and Apparate in the middle of a duel," said Lupin, who looked quite impressed.

"I don't know," said Harry honestly. "That was the first time I've tried it. I saw it at the Ministry when Voldemort did it in the middle of his duel with Dumbledore," Harry said, his voice trailing away at the end.

_This is a time I could really use you Professor_ thought Harry. Thinking about Dumbledore's death added to the already-crushing weight of the world on Harry's shoulders.

"What was that spell you hit the table with?" asked Lupin, dreading the answer.

"It's a Limb-Remover," said Harry. "I read it in a book about temporarily incapacitating your opponent. Don't worry," said Harry quickly, realizing the look on Lupin's face, "it is easily reversible. Anyway, I'm beat. I'm just going to head off to bed."

"Okay. Goodnight Harry."

"'Night."

Harry stumbled into the corner of the Shrieking Shack that he had been sleeping in since he had become of age and left the Dursleys forever. Although they all seemed happy to see Harry going, he could have sworn he saw a tear on Aunt Petunia's cheek as he walked out the door. He saw tears on Uncle Vernon's face as well, but those were most certainly tears of joy, considering he was running around whooping and hollering.

_What am I going to say to Ginny when I see her? _he thought. _This is all so complicated. Maybe it's best if I don't think about it and just let it happen as it happens. _As Harry continued to ponder what would happen at Bill and Fleur's wedding, he slowly drifted off into a worried sleep.

Harry awoke the next morning as the sun seeped through the various cracks in the walls. Yawning as he rose, Harry couldn't help but think he would need a more sufficient area to train very soon. Sure, the Shrieking Shack was abandoned and not many people dared to come near it, but it was not a place to practice complex spells, and the floors were less than comforting for Harry as he dropped to them several times when working with Lupin.

"Ready to go Harry?" asked Lupin as he stepped into the room. "I assume if you can Apparate mid-duel you can find your way to the Burrow?"

"Yes, sir," said Harry sleepily. "Just let me gather my things."

"Okay well I'll whip up some breakfast while you're doing that," called Lupin

Lupin left the room and muttered a few words. A table full of eggs, bacon, pancakes, waffles, and orange juice appeared out of nowhere.

Harry began to magically place his clothes, spellbooks, his Firebolt, and other items into his trunk. He then moved Hedwig's cage onto the top much to her dismay.

"Sorry Hedwig," Harry apologized. "I forgot you don't like me doing that."

"Alright, I'm packed," said Harry as he lugged his trunk into the room.

"Okay well mine as well have a bite before we leave," suggested Lupin.

The two of them sat down and had some breakfast.

"How are you doing Harry?" asked Lupin suddenly.

"Oh just a bit tired," he replied.

"That's not what I meant," said Lupin. "I've overheard you talking in your sleep a lot lately."

"Really?" asked Harry. "Umm… what have I been saying?" asked Harry, starting to worry if he had perhaps given away some information unknowingly.

"It's really just the same few words," Lupin responded. "Something about a Horcrux, someone named Nagini, and a few other indiscernible things."

"Oh," said Harry, feeling that his fears about indulging information had come true. "Well please don't take offense Professor, but I don't really care to tell you what that's about."

Lupin looked hard at Harry for a bit, and then smiled faintly. "I've always thought you trusted me Harry," he said sadly, "but I guess you've changed."

Harry observed the saddened look on Lupin's face and Harry realized he had hurt him with what he just said, but he did not say anything to Lupin. He could not tell him about the Horcruxes, _Dumbledore would have told him himself if he wanted to know_, Harry concluded. Lupin looked to be waiting for a response, but upon not receiving one, looked even sadder than before.

"You go first, Harry. I'll be right behind you," he said.

Harry focused on arriving at the Burrow, and with a loud crack, he was gone. Lupin followed quickly in suit. Harry and Lupin both arrived with a thud on the front lawn. Then, a familiar voice greeted them.

"Well, glad to see you two could drop by after all."


	2. A Simple Request

**Chapter Two: A Simple Request**

"Hey Ron," greeted Lupin. "Is your mum or dad around by any chance?"

"Yeah, they're around back," replied Ron. "We were beginning to worry if you two would show up," continued Ron as Lupin walked to the back, "what with your training and all."

"Yeah well a little time off wouldn't hurt," stated Harry. "Besides, I haven't seen you or Hermione since summer started. I had to get together with you guys at least once before you went back to school.

"So you still don't plan on going, mate?" asked Ron, disappointed.

"Nope. I've already destroyed two Horcruxes," said Harry, quickly lowering his voice to ensure no one could overhear. He then drew his wand and muttered _Muffliato. _"Can't take any chances that Fred or George may be using Extendable Ears," explained Harry. "So that just leaves me with trying to locate the _real_ locket, some Gryffindor item, and Nagini. Considering she is Voldemort's personal pet though, that may prove difficult. After all that, I would still like to stop by Godric's Hollow," finished Harry.

"Wow, tough summer. Don't worry though, we'll be there with you the whole way. Horcruxes and everything," proclaimed Ron.

Harry couldn't help but smile. He wasn't keen on bringing his two closest friends into severe danger, but he was still touched by Ron's loyalty.

"HARRY!" exclaimed Hermione, running up to him and Ron. "I just saw Lupin and he told me you were out here," stated Hermione. Then all of the sudden, her smile turned to a look of concern. "Oh, Harry are you all right?"

Hermione quickly transfigured a rock on the lawn into a mirror and summoned it to her. She handed it to Harry.

"Never miss a chance to show off do you Hermione?" Ron directed towards Hermione.

Hermione, however, remained indifferent to the comment, her eyes still fixed upon Harry. Harry gazed into the mirror and was a bit surprised at his reflection. He had large, dark circles underneath his bloodshot eyes. He then looked at his face, which looked like it had not been washed in weeks.

"Yeah, I'm fine," assured Harry. "Just a little tired I suppose. Still, I better clean up before lunch."

"Good idea. Come on, Harry, I'll help you with your stuff," said Hermione, waiving her wand at Harry's trunk and using the Locomotor Charm to transport it beside her and Harry.

"Okay well hurry up," said Ron as Harry made off. "Come meet us down for some 2-on-2 Quidditch after that," said Ron.

Harry sighed as the last statement reached his ears, he knew what that meant. It was to be him and Ron versus Hermione and Ginny. _Well maybe I won't have to talk to her if we're flying,_ thought Harry optimistically.

"So, are you really okay?" pressed Hermione once more, breaking Harry off from his inner thoughts. "When I talked to Lupin a bit earlier he mentioned you've been training day and night. I don't think that's healthy," said Hermione, visibly concerned.

"Yeah, well I'm trying to learn as much as I can. But I'll slow it down a bit from now on," finished Harry, spotting Hermione's concerned look once more.

He extracted his Firebolt from his trunk and set off towards Ron, but he encountered someone else first.

"Hey you," said Ginny, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Oh….er, hey," replied Harry awkwardly. Ginny stifled a giggle.

"Harry I'm going to go tell Ron we're coming before he has a conniption," interrupted Hermione. She headed off, leaving the two of them alone.

"So um, how have things been around here?" asked Harry, tentatively.

"They've been really chaotic. Bill and Fleur have been overseeing everything for the wedding, and were not too keen on anyone bothering them," explained Ginny. "And Mum and Dad have been running around trying their best to organize the Order, but everyone has been panicking ever since….well, you know," said Ginny, her voice trailing away.

Harry simply nodded, then looked away. He could tell that Ginny didn't think he was ready to talk about it yet, at least not with her. Harry didn't know if her assessment was right or not. It was true that Dumbledore's death was a touchy subject with him, but he knew from previous experience he can't keep everything bottled in and exlode on people later.

"Hey you two! Are you coming or not?" squawked Ron.

"Why yes, Ron!" Ginny replied sarcastically. "Hate to keep you waiting."

She started off towards Ron and Hermione, and Harry began to follow. However, Mr. Weasley stepped in front him before he even took a step.

"Harry! Good to see you. Say, can I have a quick word?"

"Sure, just let me tell the others to wait up…." continued Harry, but Mr. Weasley had already pulled him aside.

"Look, I know that your life is incredibly difficult righ now, but I have a small favor to ask of you," said Mr. Weasley.

"Umm…sure," said Harry uncertainly.

"Good, good. Replied Mr. Weasley quickly. "It has to do with the Order. As you may well have figured, everyone has been hit pretty hard by Dumbledore's death, and we now lack a leader. So well, what I'm getting at is….would you consider taking Dumbledore's place in the Order?"

"What?" Harry said in disbelief. "You want me to be the leader of the entire Order?" This hardly seemed like a small favor to Harry.

"Yes well, that was the idea," replied Mr. Weasley a bit shortly.

"Are you kidding?" asked Harry, trying not to seem rude. "I'm only 17 first of all, they won't listen to me. On top of that, I'm hardly right for the job. I wouldn't know what to do, and I've got my own things I need to take care of."

"But Dumbledore was very busy with other things too, Harry. And you're much more qualified for the job than you realize," encouraged Mr. Weasley.

"Well I'm not Dumbledore am I!" said Harry, suddenly feeling a bit agitated. "No one is!"

"Harry," Mr. Weasley said in his kindest voice possible. "I know you miss him, we all do, but he always spoke very highly of you, and showed complete confidence in you. I truly believe that he would have wanted you to take his place. I've already posed the idea to Lupin and a few others, and they all supported it."

"I just don't know what I'm supposed to do. You are all more experienced than me, why don't you or Moody or Tonks or someone take over?" pleaded Harry.

"I still have a job at the Ministry, remember that Harry. I still need to earn money for my family. And as sad as I am to say it, Moody's best days are behind him. He would not be a great leader right now. Do not think that we haven't considered our options, Harry. You are still the best man for the job."

Harry thought about it for a moment, and then said, "Can I think about it for a bit first?"

"Sure," replied Mr. Weasley. "Take all the time you need."

"Thanks," said Harry, and he walked towards Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, his head spinning.


	3. The Decision

**Chapter Three: The Decision**

As Harry continued to Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, he met another interruption.

"Harry! When'd you get here?" asked Fred.

"About half an hour ago I suppose," came Harry's reply.

"My guess is you came a bit too early, mate. Things have really been crazy around here lately. Everyone's patience is running low. Anything you do around here is bound to get you yelled at," advised George.

"He's right. Earlier, we were testing out some new products for the shop, and one of our fireworks got loose," explained Fred. "And before we knew it, Fleur was screaming on the ground. Bill was furious."

"It didn't even hit her that hard," said George.

Harry managed a small laugh. The thought of Fleur hurt on the ground was not very funny, but he appreciated how in an ever-changing world, Fred and George were still the same as from the first time he met them.

"Thanks for the advice, but I better get down there before those three kill me," said Harry, motioning to Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. "See you later."

Harry set off for the third time with his Firebolt, intent on flying for the first time in a while. When he arrived there, it was Ron who spoke first.

"Where have you been?" asked Ron in an inquiring voice.

"Sorry but I was interrupted first by your dad, then Fred and George," excused Harry.

"What did my dad want?" said Ron immediately. Ginny, who had been trying to teach Hermione how to catch a Quaffle, looked over with interest. Hermione did the same.

"Nothing," said Harry. "Let's start playing," he added quickly, eager to change the subject. Harry's eyes caught Ron as he turned, and he shot him a look of _I'll tell you later._ Hermione picked up the hint as well.

"Harry's right. I think I'm really getting the hang of this," added Hermione.

They all kicked off into the sky, and Harry felt the familiar brush of air on his face. He took a quick lap around the miniature Quidditch pitch, remembering why he loved flying so much.

The game itself wasn't very close at all. Despite Hermione's best efforts, she was still a horrific Keeper, not stopping a single of Harry's attempts. She did, however, manage to last her first whole game without falling off her broom.

After the game, the four of them headed off to eat lunch. They were the last people to arrive, for Lupin, Fleur, and the rest of the Weasley family (excluding Percy) had already taken their seats.

"This food is delicious, Molly," said Lupin, breaking the silence.

"Oh, you like it Remus?" replied Mrs. Weasley. "I tried something new this time…."

As the adults continued to talk about food and cooking techniques, Ron leaned into his left and spoke to Harry, "So what happened with my dad earlier?"

Hermione quickly chimed in, "It had to do with the Order didn't it?"

"Actually yeah," said Harry, surprised. "How did you know?"

"It's basically become Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's whole lives since Dumbledore's death," explained Hermione. "Besides, I overheard him talking to Lupin just before he found you. I couldn't hear distinctly what they were saying, but I did catch the words "Order," "Harry," and "approve."

Ron looked at Hermione with raised eyebrows. "I never knew you were one to eavesdrop Hermione," teased Ron.

"It's not eavesdropping if you weren't _trying_ to overhear," stated Hermione matter-of-factly. "So anyway, am I right Harry? Does it have to do with the Order?"

Before Harry could answer though, he was interrupted.

"So Harry, Remus tells me your training is going well?" said Mrs. Weasley, out of the blue.

"Yeah I suppose so. Tiring, though," said Harry, honestly.

"Well you can certainly rest a bit when you get back to school," comforted Mrs. Weasley.

"Er, right," said Harry. He considered telling her he didn't plan on returning to Hogwarts, but decided that would just open up the door for a line of questioning that would lead to the Horcruxes, and he was positive Dumbledore would not have wanted him spreading that information around.

The rest of the meal was filled with talks of the next day's wedding, and plans for the remainder of summer. Harry, Ron, and Hermione cast each other a few anxious looks, but they decided it was best to wait for later to talk, when they couldn't be interrupted.

The three of them did not find an adequate time to talk for the rest of the day though, and the evening was busy as well. People were telling jokes and stories and enjoying their time together away from the terrors of the real world. The whole night passed, and they still couldn't find anywhere to talk alone, so they headed off to their beds without a word. Ron and Harry were again sharing a room, and they had both fell into their beds when Ron asked once more, "So what did my dad want again?"

"Do we have to talk about this now?" asked Harry. He was feeling quite tired and was not keen on thinking about such a huge decision.

"Of course," said Ron simply.

"Fine, but we should tell Hermione to come here before I get into this," pleaded Harry.

"But how?" asked Ron. "The others will notice if we get out of our beds, they're right on the other side. We could always Apparate into her room, but they would hear us."

"Hold on," said Harry. "I'll take care of it."

He had been eager to try this for the longest time, and he felt he could perform this spell accurately now. He pulled out his wand and concentrated on his message for Hermione, "Come to mine and Ron's room to talk." Then he muttered _Expecto Patronum_. A brilliant stag came out of his wand, paused for a moment, and then set off for Hermione's room.

Ron looked over at Harry in utter disbelief.

"How...what…..when….what did you just do?" asked Ron.

"Hopefully I told Hermione to come up here right now," said Ron, knowing perfectly well that didn't answer Ron's question. At that moment, Hermione Apparated at the foot of Harry's bed. She was harboring the same look Ron was and staring at Harry.

"Harry, how did you learn to do that?" asked Hermione. "That is supposed to be very difficult magic, and only a few know how to do it."

Harry simply laughed. "It's not that much different that producing a normal Patronus really," he said, modestly. "Besides, in case you haven't noticed, it's not that rare. The entire Order knows how to do it, in fact, it's their primary form of communication."

Hermione and Ron took in this knowledge, but it did little to suppress their amazement. They decided that the Patronus was a subject for another time though, and continued on to the reason the three of them were assembled in the first place.

"So, Harry," Hermione spoke, "what did Mr. Weasley want with you?"

Harry breathed a sigh, and then faced the both of them. "Well, he asked me to take Dumbledore's old position as leader of the Order." He looked at both of them, gauging their reactions. Hermione looked consumed in thought while Ron was just sitting there with his mouth hanging open.

"You? Leader? Of the entire Order?" asked Ron. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him I'd think about it."

"How can you even think about it?" interjected Hermione. "You're much too young, Harry. Besides, your concerns should be of the Horcruxes."

"That's what I told him," said Harry. "But the more that I think of it, the more I'm thinking that it'd be to my benefit. I mean, if I am supposed to be destroying these Horcruxes and ultimately, Voldemort, then wouldn't the Order be of assistance to me. I don't really plan on telling them what I'm up to, much as Dumbledore didn't tell them what he was up to, but it would certainly help me to gain information from them and them from me."

"But Harry, what can you tell them? Your most valuable information about Voldemort has to do with the Prophecy and the Horcruxes, and Dumbledore told you not to tell other people about either of those things."

Harry thought about this. Hermione was right, he really couldn't offer them much information. Still, he himself had considered several other possibilities to take the position and had come to the same conclusion as Mr. Weasley. Harry as leader just seemed to make the most sense.

"I'm sorry Hermione, but I think it's in the best interest of the Order that I take Dumbledore's old position," Harry said finally.

"Well, if that's the way you feel, I trust your judgment," conceded Hermione.

"Does this mean," said Ron, breaking his silence, "that you would control who becomes members of the Order?"

"I suppose so, yes."

"Well then, can Hermione and I join?" asked Ron cautiously.

"Well, as long as your parents don't object, it's fine by me," Harry said to Ron.

"Couldn't you overrule them?" asked Ron hopefully.

"Technically I can, but I think that your parents should have the final say. Your parents would probably be worried sick if you joined," said Harry.

Ron chuckled. "Well, they'll be worried after I go with you after the Horcruxes, and there's no chance they're stopping me from doing that."

"We'll worry about that when it happens Ron," stated Hermione. "But as for now, I'm beat. I'm going back to bed. I reckon they're gone from outside the room now, so hopefully Disapparating won't wake them up." And with a loud crack, she disappeared.

"She's got the right idea, mate. I'll see you in the morning," Harry said, already starting to drift off to sleep.


End file.
